Track-scraper.



W. E. L. DYER & D. E. BLAIR.

TRACKSCRAPER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 4. 1914.

Lfifi fio Patented J1me 29, 1915.

THE NORRIS PETERS C0,. PHDTO-LITHO WASHINGTONv Dv C.

E SAES WILLIAM E. L. DYER AND DAVID E. BLAIR, 0F MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA.

TRACK-SCRAPER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 29, 1915.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, "WILLIAM E. L. Dyna and DAVID E. BLAIR, both subjects of the King of Great Britain, and residents of the city of Montreal, in the Province of Quebec and Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements, in Track-Scrapers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in track scrapers for street railway cars and the like, and the object is to provide an inexpensive and durable scraper which may be readily attached to an existing car truck.

A further object is to provide a scraper of great flexibility which will not be broken by obstructions, but which will neverthelesseffectually clear the track rails.

A still further object is to provide a scraper which may be loaded to any desired degree according to the climate in which it is used.

Various other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description.

The invention consists essentially of a shaft revolubly mounted on the car truck and carrying two rigid arms, to the free ends of which the scraper plates are attached. These plates are arranged in a suitable angle to discharge the loosening snow or ice laterally, and are furthermore hingeably connected to the arms, so that the scrapers will yield to any immovable obstruction and not be broken. Adjustable springs are provided to hold the scrapers at a suitable cutting angle, and an additional spring is provided operating directly on the shaft to holdthe scrapers down to the track.

In the drawings which illustrate the invcntion: Figure 1 is a plan view showing the device attached'to the frame of a car truck. Fig. 2 is a side elevation partly in section on the line 2-2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the parts out off at the section line 2-2, showing in dotted lines the lever elevated to raise the scraper. Fig. 1 is a. detail view of the parts forming the adjustable spring hinge connectionbetween the scraper and its carrying arm.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 5 designates the frame of a car truck to which brackets 6 are secured,rev0lubly sup porting the shaft 7. This shaft may be solid, but for lightness and strength it is preferred to make the same of extra heavy pipe. The brackets 6 will obviously vary slightly in design, according to the type of truck to which they are attached. A rockmg arm 8 is attached to each end of the shaft immediately outside each bracket, these arms extending rearwardly under the truck frame and being turned toward each other at their free extremities, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The inwardly bent extremities of the rocking arms 8 are provided with recessed face plates 9 which are disposed at a suitable angle to the axis of the arms 8, but in parallel vertical planes. The extremity of each rocking arm is bored concentric with the face plates 9 for the passage of a spindle 10. The scraper blades 11, which are of suitable shape, are each pr0- vided with a pair of hinge members 12 bored for the reception of the spindle 10 and secured thereon by nuts 13. These hinge members are each provided with a recessed face plate 14: arranged with their recessed faces adjacent the recessed faces of the plates 9. The flanges 15 of the plates 9 and 14, which inclose the recesses 16 thereof, are provided with radial notches 17, the number of notches in the plates 14: being different from the number of notches in the plates 9, as clearly shown in Fig. 4:. A heavy coil spring 18 is mounted on the spindle 10 at each side of the rocking arm. These springs are partly inclosed between the recesses 15 of the plates 9 and 14:, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. These springs 18 have radially extending extremities 19, one of which engages in the notches 17 of a plate 14. and the other in a notch of the plate 9. It will thus be seen that any movement of the scraper relative to its supporting arm will produce a torsion of the springs 18.

The rocking arms 8 are preferably split, as shown at 20, where they embrace the shaft 7 so as to be easily applied and removed. The arms are held rigidly to the shaft by means of bolts 21 which pass through the split portion of the arms and through the shaft, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. An arm 22 is attached near one end of the shaft by means of a bolt 23 similar to the bolt 21. A heavy helical spring 24 is connected between the free extremity of this arm and an anchor plate 25 secured to the truck frame. The tension of this spring may be regulated by means of a threaded rod 26 which forms connection between the spring and the an wardly, struction on chor plate, and is held by nut and lock nut 27 and 28 respectively. At one extremity of the shaft 7, a lever 29 is rigidly secured thereto and extends a suitable distance along the outer side of the truck frame, as shown" in Fig. l. A rest 30 is provided for this lever on the truck frame, with which the lever may be engaged when raised to ele vated position.

As will be clearly seen from the drawings,

v the tension of the spring 2 1 operates to rotate the shaft in such direction as to depress the rocking arms 8 and hold the scrapers down to the track. The scrapers are normally held in predetermined relation with these rocking levers by the torsion springs 18. The unequal number of notches in the plates 9 and 14 permits a great variety of adjustments for the springs 18. In the drawings, the plates 9 are shown with six notches and the plates 1& with five notches, thus permitting thirty adjustments of the springs. When the device is applied to a car, the tension of the springs 18 is adjusted by placing the spring ends in the desired notches of the plates 9 and 14, so that it will require a desired pressure on the edge of the scraper to hold the same perpendicular to the rocking arms. The spring 24: is also adjusted to give the desired downward pressure of the scrapers on the track. The normal position of the blades is inclined forbut when the blade meets with obthe track such as ice or packed snow, the resistance caused by the blade cutting through the obstruction moves the blade more nearly to the vertical position. This inclination of the blade also slightly raises the rocking which rotation is resisted by "the large spring 24:, so that the scrapersare held down to the track. If the scrapers meet an immovable obstruction, they merely bend back and ride up over the same, all the springs yielding to a certain extent. The advantages of this structure will be readily appreciated by street railway and other engineers. By adjusting the torsion springs 18, the blades may be loaded according to the work which they are required to do. Thus, in some cities when the snow fall is light or frost not severe, a load of say ten or fifteen pounds will be sufficient to hold the scraping blades to the most advantageous cutting angle, whereas in other cities where, the snowfall is heavy or cold very severe, so that large amounts of ver hard ice have to be always contended wit the springs may be loaded to say forty or fifty pounds to hold the blades at the proper angle against the much greater resistance. The slight inclination forward which the scraper blades normally have gives them more of a cutting than ascraping action, so that foreign matter may be removed from the track with less arm and rotates the shaft,

downward pressure on the blades than if the same were vertical or inclined slightly rearward. The double motion permitted the blades, that is rearwardly and forwardly, absolutely prevents their being out and broken by any obstruction. When it is not desired to use the scrapers, the shaft is ro-' tated by means of the lever 29 to raise the scrapers clear of the track, the lever being dropped into its rest 30, where it will be held by the tension of the spring 2d.

While one form of the device has been shown, it is obvious that a number of minor changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. In fact, such changes will be absolutely necessary, the details of design depending largely on the design and equipment of the truck. In the form shown in the drawings, a desirable combination of lightness and strength has been aimed at, but it will be understood that where either greater strength or greater lightness are required, many changes will necessarily be made. While the device has been shown attached to a car truck, it is obvious that it may be attached directly to the car body. The lever 29 may be arranged for operation from within the cab or motormans compartment. Suitable stops may also be provided to limit the movement of the blades, thus relieving the helical springs of a certain amount of load.

Having thus described what we claim is 1. A track scraper comprising the combination with a truck frame of a transverse shaft revolubly mounted on the truck frame, normally horizontal rocking arms rigidly mountedat one end on said shaft, and projecting rearwardly therefrom, the free extremities of said levers being turned upwardly and inwardly and scraper blades hingeably mounted to the free ends of said rocking arms.

2. In a track scraper, the combination with a truck frame of a transverse shaftjournaled thereon, rocking arms rigidly connected at one end to said shaft, scraper blades at the free extremities of said arms, pins hingeably connecting said blades to the arms, springs carried by said pins arranged to normally maintain a predetermined relation between the blades and arms, and means for adjusting the tension of said springs to maintain said relation against different resistive forces. v

3. In a track scraper, the combination with a truck frame of a transverse shaftj ournaled thereon, rocking arms rigidly connected at our invention,

one end to said shaft, scraper blades at the the blades and arms, and means for adjust- 1 q ing the tension of said springs to maintain said relation against different resistive forces, a lever rigidly connected to the shaft, and a spring held in tension between the free extremity of said lever and the truck frame and operating to press the scraper down on the track.

4:. In a track scraper, a scraper blade, a rocking arm carrying said blade, a yieldable connection between the scraper and rocking arm arranged to hold the blade at a predetermined cutting angle against a predetermined resistance, cooperative means in the blade and arm for adjusting the yieldability of said connection, and a load spring arranged to press the blade downwardly on the track.

5. A track scraper comprising the combination with a truck frame of a transverse shaft journaled thereto, a rocking arm Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the rigidly secured at one end to said shaft, a pair of flanged plates on opposite sides of said lever at the free end thereof, a scraper blade, a pair of flanged plates secured thereto, a pin passing concentrically through said plates and hingeably connecting the blade to the rocking arm, springs on said pin between the blade and arm plates, and radially disposed seats in the lever and blade plates engaging the ends of said springs, one end of each spring being engaged in an arm plate and the opposite end in a blade plate.

In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM E. L. DYER. DAVID E. BLAIR. Witnesses:

S. R. IN. ALLEN, G. M. MORELAND.

Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G. 

